Amnesty slams govt over move against envoy
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AMNESTY International heavily criticised the government yesterday after police launched an inquiry into the US ambassador's comments against the lese majeste law.
The human-rights organisation called on Thailand to stop using the royal-defamation law to curb the freedom of expression.
US Ambassador to Thailand Glyn Davies faces a police investigation after a complaint was filed against him after he voiced concerns about the “unprecedented” prison terms handed down under the law, particularly after the coup last year.
Davies, who took up his post last month, raised concerns about Thailand’s application of the law in a speech at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on November 25.
Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty International’s senior director of research, said: “The authorities’ vicious application of the lese majeste law has left dozens of individuals in jail for the peaceful exercise of their rights, with some facing military trials without the right of appeal.
“The fact that allegations of lese majeste can be made for raising legitimate concerns highlight the current absurd extremes of Thailand’s restrictions on freedom of expression.”
Anyone can file a lese majeste complaint in Thailand even if there are no public guidelines on what exactly constitutes an offence.
Article 112 of the Penal Code states that anybody who “defames, insults or threatens the King, the Queen, the Heir Apparent or the Regent” is liable to be punished with a jail term of three to 15 years.
“The fact that the case against Glyn Davies has even entered the criminal justice system shows the shocking state of freedom of expression in Thailand,” Gaughran said.
